ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. march — music
  11. date — the fruit
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. hand — help
  15. march — the month
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. foot — a measure
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. hand — in cards
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wind — moving air
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com